BOSTON — What if all the taste and nutrition of a pound of fresh carrots could be in a 3oz packet in your cabinet? What if you could have all the subtlety and richness of “slow foods” in a jiff – five nights a week? Two prominent area chefs – Barbara Lynch and Ana Sortun – are stepping out of the kitchen trying to change the way we eat.

Ana Sortun, chef and owner of Oleana and Sofra, has created a meal system called Chef Set. It requires you to "chop three fresh ingredients" and combine them with her pre-packaged herbs and grains for a meal in minutes.

Barbara Lynch is chef and owner of six Boston restaurants, including No. 9 Park, the Butcher Shop, and Menton. Her new startup product, BLinc, consists of dehydradted, vegan foods dehydrated and packaged, without additives, for the cook in a hurry to open and add to soup stock or toss with vinegar for an easy salad.

Both women were inspired to work with nutritionists and find solutions that meet their own standards for packaged food--taste, quality and low-calorie.

Lynch insists it couldn't be easier to have eggplant for dinner with her new system. Hardly any skill is required, but she warns, "If you don't know how to boil water, don't buy it!"

Today I'm using two of the easiest east-west ingredients to work with—and they work really well together: Tofu and zucchini. I grew up eating tofu in stir fries and salads and discovered it truly is nature's vegetarian meat. Zucchini requires very little prep and it's almost as versatile as tofu. You'll see what I mean in today's recipe.

Directions
In a hot wok coated with oil over high heat, stir-fry the chicken, season and cook through. Remove chicken to a plate. Add more oil and stir-fry the onion, ginger, jalapeno, sambal and scallion whites for 2 minutes. Add zucchini, season, and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Add the tofu, gently stirring/flipping, taking care not to break up the pieces, then add chicken and naturally brewed soy sauce. Serve family style with house rice, garnish with scallion greens.

Taste: From a cool vintage, therefore flavor is leaning more towards citrus and minerality. Feels firm in the mouth

Aroma: Honey and toasted oak with a slight bit of earthiness

—grapes are whole cluster pressed
—aged in French oak

]]>Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:33 PM +0000 Lidia Bastianich]]>http://www.wgbh.org//articles/Italian-Style-Corn-Lidia-Bastianich-70
America loves and is obsessed with corn, and I happen to have an Italian-American love affair with corn!
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America loves and is obsessed with corn, and I happen to have an Italian-American love affair with corn! When it’s in season, we do wild things with it on the menu at Felidia, my flagship restaurant in New York City.

I know you grill it, in and out of the husk, or boil it and simply dress with butter and salt.

But for an alternative, when a delicious pot of tomato sauce is perking on your stove, try plopping in some sweet ears of corn. The sauce will be sweeter and the ear of corn, tangier.

Directions
Just shuck the corn
Remove all the silk and rinse the ears
Drop them in the pot of tomato sauce
It’s in and out — 2 minutes will do

And what you’ve got is a delicious new way of eating corn, Italian style!

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Lidia Matticchio Bastianich was born in Pola, Istria, on the northeastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. She is a cookbook author, restaurateur, and TV chef extraordinaire. Watch Lidia’s Italy Saturdays at 1:30pm on WGBH 2 or Sundays at 4pm on WGBX 44.
]]>Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:26 PM +0000By Lidia Bastianich]]>http://www.wgbh.org//articles/Grilled-PeppersBy-Lidia-Bastianich-68
When you go shopping at your local reputable market, get yourself some peppers especially when they are in season.
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Peter Piper picked a peck of…delicious peppers!

When you go shopping at your local reputable market, get yourself some peppers especially when they are in season. They are delicious, colorful, plentiful, nutritious, and usually inexpensive in the summertime! So what do I do with them, you ask me? It’s simple!

Directions
Grill whole peppers over an open flame, turning periodically until all of the skin blisters.

Set them in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap and let cool.

Peel and scrape off all of the skin under gently running water. Remove the stems and seeds.

Take these delicious morsels and put them in a casserole dish with sliced garlic, olive oil, salt, and fresh or dry oregano. Let steep for half an hour, and when you are ready to serve, add a drizzle of vinegar.

Serve these delicious peppers like we do at my Lidia’s restaurants, as an appetizer, side dish, or sandwich stuffer. Now go pick your peppers!

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Lidia Matticchio Bastianich was born in Pola, Istria, on the northeastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. She is a cookbook author, restaurateur, and TV chef extraordinaire. Watch Lidia’s Italy Saturdays at 1:30pm on WGBH 2 or Sundays at 4pm on WGBX 44.
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